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Des Gasper (1953) is professor of Human Development, Development Ethics and Public Policy, at ISS of Erasmus University Rotterdam.

‘Human development’ refers here to human-centred socio-economic development, including extension of people’s ability to live in ways that there is reason to value. This field links to work on human rights and human security, and I work on such links, both in theoretical and ’applied’ research.

During 2012-16, highlights were:

I wrote conceptual chapters in the Routledge Handbook of Human Security and the Elgar Handbook on Climate Change and Human Security (2013). With Oscar Gomez I co-wrote two overviews of the past twenty years of human security researcht: for UNDP and for a a 2015 special issue of Contemporary Politics, 21(1).

I worked with Oscar Gomez and Yoichi Mine on a report to UNDP that reviewed human-security oriented Human Development Reports, and an associated guidance. We extended our analysis in a 2016 paper in the Journal of Development Studies, 52(1).

Application of human development ideas to university education, in work with Alejandra Boni (in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2012, 13(3); and to methods of project planning and evaluation, in a paper in Oxford Development Studies, 2012, 40(1), and a special issue in 2014 of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 15(1).

Development ethics looks at “ethical and value questions posed by development theory, planning and practice”. Highlights in 2012-2016 included:

Three survey papers, for diverse audience: in the Journal of Global Ethics, 8(1), 2012;: a chapter in the Springer Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics, 2016, ed. H. ten Have; and in An Introduction to International Development, 3rd edition, eds. P. Haslam et al.; Oxford University Press Canada, 2017.

A chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Professional Economic Ethics, 2016, eds. G. DeMartino & D. McCloskey, on ethics and politics of displacement of persons by economic projects and processes.

Much of my work is interpretive/critical policy analysis: investigating the ways of thinking that influence standpoints in public policy debates and practice in the fields of international migration and climate change.

Migration – I coordinate an ISS research strand on migration and human security. A project for IDRC on ‘Migration, Gender and Social Justice’ led to a co-edited book (with T-D. Truong et al.; Springer, 2014), following a similar volume in 2011. The cluster is member of the Erasmus Migration and Diversity Institute. Recent work includes 2016: ‘Investigating Migration within a Human Security Framework’, co-author G. Sinatti, Revista Migración y Desarrollo, 14(27).

Climate change – During 2014-16 I participated in a project on contents and societal reception of the 2014 IPCC Fifth Assessment Report. One output is a paper with Kjersti Fløttum and Asuncion St.Clair, 2016: ‘Synthesizing a Policy-Relevant Message from the Three IPCC “Worlds” – a comparison of topics and frames in the SPMs of the Fifth Assessment Report’, Global Environmental Change, 38(May), 118-129. I work now on how interests of poor people are marginalized in climate change research and debates.

D. Gasper (2006). Everything for Sale? Ethics of National and International Development (special issue of Ethics and Economics / La revue chique et economique vol 4. no. 2; selected papers from the 7th international conference of the International Development Ethics Association at Makerere University, July 2006). -: C3ED,University of Versailles Saint Quentin:France

D. Gasper (2005). The Ethics of Development (South Asia edition with new material). New Delhi: Sage Publications

D. Gasper (2004). The Ethics of Development - From Economism to Human Development. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

D. Gasper (2015). The Human and the Social: A Comparison of the Discourses of Human Development, Human Security and Social Quality. In K. Lin & P. Herrmann (Eds.), Social Quality Theory: A New Perspective on Social Development (pp. 93-109). New York & Oxford: Berghahn Books

D. Gasper (2009). Capitalism and Human Flourishing? - the strange story of the bias to activity and the downgrading of work. In J..B. Davis (Ed.), Global Social Economy Development , Work and Policy (pp. 13-41). London: Routledge

D. Gasper (2003). Anecdotes, Situations, Histories -- Reflections on the Use of Cases in Thinking about Ethics and Development Practice. In A moral critique of development : in search of global responsibilities (pp. 196-220). London: Routledge Books

D. Gasper (2000). Strengthening 'Public and Development' in the New South Africa: Thoughts for the Next Phase in Education and Training for Public and Development Management. In (pp. 165-188) South Africa: University of Stellenbosch

P.B. Anand & D. Gasper (Ed.). (2007). Human Security, Well-Being and Sustainability: Special issue of Journal of International Development 19(4). New York: John Wiley and Sons

P.B. Anand & D. Gasper (Ed.). (2007). Living In Common and Deliberating In Common - Foundational Issues in Sustainable Human Development and Human Security (Special issue of International Journal of Social Economics, 34 (1/2). Bradford, UK: Emerald

D. Gasper (2001). Review essay on 'Women and Human Development' (M. Nussbaum ed, Cambridge University Press, 2000) published in the Newsletter of the International Development Association [Bespreking van het boek Review essay on 'Women and Human Development' (M. Nussbaum ed, Cambridge University Press, 2000) published in the Newsletter of the International Development Association]. IDEA Newsletter, 7.

D. Gasper (1996). Book Review of "The End of Economics? Ethics and the Disorder of Progress" [by C. Buraque, London: Zed, 1993] [Bespreking van het boek Book Review of "The End of Economics? Ethics and the Disorder of Progress" [by C. Buraque, London: Zed, 1993]]. Development and Change, 27, 817-8.

D. Gasper, A.V. Portocarrero & A. Lera St.Clair (2011). Climate change and development framings: a comparative analysis of the Human Development Report 2007/8 an the World Development Report 2010. (Preprints, ISS working papers series. General series, no 528). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

M.R. Muñiz Castillo & D. Gasper (2011). Human autonomy effectiveness and development projects. (Preprints, ISS working papers series. General series, no 519). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

D. Gasper & M. Sinha (2010). How can power discourses be changed? Contrasting the 'daughter deficit' policy of the Delhi government with Gandhi and King's transformational reframing. (Preprints, ISS working papers. General series, no 493). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

D. Gasper (2010). Climate change and the language of human security. (Preprints, ISS working papers. General series, no 505). The Hague: ISS

D. Gasper (2010). Understanding the Diversity of Conceptions of Well-Being and Quality of Life. The Hague: ISS

D. Gasper & T. Truong (2010). Movements of the 'we': international and transnational migration and the capabilities approach. (Preprints, ISS working papers. General series, no 495). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

B. Roldan & D. Gasper (2010). The global forum on migration and development: "All talk and no action" or "a chance to frame the issues in a way that allows you to move forward together"? (Preprints, ISS working papers. General series, no 497). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

D. Gasper & S. George (2010). Cultivating humanity? Education and capabilities for a global `great transition¿. (Preprints, ISS workingpapers. General series, no 503). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

D. Gasper (2009). Capitalism and Human Flourishing? ¿ the strange story of the bias to activity and the downgrading of work. (Extern rapport, Institute of Social Studies Working Papers - General Series, no 469). The Hague: Institute of Social Studies

D. Gasper (1998). Anecdotes, Situations, Histories - Reflections on the Use of Cases in Thinking about Ethics and Development Interventions. :

D. Gasper & R.V. George (1997). Analysing Argumentation in Planning and Public Policy: Assessing Improving and Transcending the Toulmin Model. (ISS Working Papers, General Series, no 262). The Hague: ISS

B.A. Campillo Carrete & D. Gasper (2010). Managing migration in the IOM's World migration report 2008. (Preprints, ISS working papers. General series, no 498). The Hague: International Institute of Social Studies

A. Boni & D. Gasper (2009). The university as it might be - Contributions of a human development approach to rethinking quality of universities. International Development Ethics Association conference: Valencia (2009, december 1).

A. Boni & D. Gasper (2009). Contributions of a human development approach to re-visioning the quality of universities.

D. Gasper (2008). From Valued Freedoms, To Polities And Markets - The Capability Approach In Policy Practice (Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Institute of Human Development, Delhi, 10-13 September 2008).

D. Gasper (2008). Understanding the Diversity of Conceptions of Well-Being and Quality of Life. (Paper presented at conference on Happiness and Capability organized by Radboud University Nijmegen, 22 August, 2008).

D. Gasper (2008). Logos, Pathos and Ethos in the work of Martha Nussbaum. (Paper for the Workshop on Art, Spirituality and Human Development, Indian Business Academy, Greater Noida, UP, India, 13-15 September 2008.).

D. Gasper (2008). The Human and the Social - a comparative framework and an initial systematised comparison of the discourses of Human Development, Human Security and Social Quality. (Paper presented at the 3rd Asian conference on Social Quality, University of Nanjing, 24-26 October 2008).

D. Gasper (2007). Education and Capability (Paper presented at the conference on "European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop on Education and the Capability" organised by the University of Muenster on 3-5 May 2007).

D. Gasper (2007). Denis Goulet and the Project of Development Ethics - Choices in Theory, Action and Organization (Paper presented at the international conference on "Human Development and Capability Association conference" organised by HDCA New School University New York on 17-20 September 2007).

D. Gasper (2007). The Idea of Human Security (Paper presented at the conference on "European Science Foundation workshop on Human Security and Climate Change" organised by University of Oslo on 21-23 June 2007).

D. Gasper (2007). Capitalism and Human Flourishing (Paper presented at the conference on "World Congress of Association of Social Economics" organised by Association of Social Economics University of Amsterdam on 7-9 June 2007).

D. Gasper (2006). Values, Vision, Proposals and Networks - The Roles Of Ideas in Leadership for Human Development: the approach of Mahbub ul Haq (Paper presented at the 7th international conference of the International Development Ethics Association, organised by IDEA and Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, July 2006).

D. Gasper (2005). What is the Capability Approach? (Paper presented at the annual conference on 'Human Development & Capability Association,' organised by HDCA, with UNESCO et al, UNESCO, Paris, September 2005).

D. Gasper (2003). Human Well-Being: Concepts and Conceptualizations (Paper presented at the project workshop on Measuring Well-Being organized by the World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER), Helsinki, May 2003).

D. Gasper (2001). Is Sen's Capability Approach an Adequate Basis for a Theory of Human Development? (Paper presented at the Conference on 'Evaluating Sen's Capability Approach', St Edmund's College, University of Cambridge, June 2001).

D. Gasper (2001). Reform or Replacement? What to do about the Logical Framework Approach? (Paper presented for the Workshop on Procedures, Power and Relationships, organized by the Participation Group, IDS, Sussex, May 2001).

T. Truong & D. Gasper (2004). Deepening Development Ethics, through the Lens of Human Security: Care, Migration and Women's Lives (Paper presented at the 5th Fifth Pan-European International Relations Conference organised by the ECPR Standing Group on International Relations, The Hague, 9-11 September 2004). 5th Fifth Pan-European International Relations Conference: The Hague (2004, september 9 - 2004, september 11).

D. Gasper (2015, september 23). Assessing Climate Change: Downplaying the Poor. University of Guelph, Canada, Seminar of Canada Research Chair in Gender, Justice, and Development, and Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Global Social Change.